Texas school districts must show improvement in their chronically failing schools or risk harsh state intervention.

The Dallas district's previous longest-struggling school, Browne Middle School, which had failed five years in a row, met the state standard this year. But a handful of others failed five years in a row as of this year: Edison Middle Learning Center, Carr Elementary, Titche Elementary and Carver Elementary, which was closed at the end of the school year. J.W. Ray Elementary has failed four years in a row.

Even so, this is the fourth consecutive year DISD has seen the number of its schools on the state's failing list decline. Four years ago, 43 schools failed.

"This district, with all of its challenges, is moving our schools in the right direction. That's exciting," Dallas trustee Joyce Foreman said during a board discussion on the expected ratings last week.

DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa could not be reached for comment. But when talking with The Dallas Morning News editorial board recently, he said that while he was proud of the gains districtwide, he was disappointed that DISD didn't get to single digits in "improvement required" schools.

"Our turnaround strategies are working real well,” he said. “But while we’re so focused on that turnaround — giving those schools resources and support — we have schools that are on the margin, where something will trip them up.”

Significant challenges remain. Chronically failing schools can trigger tougher state intervention for districts. Education Commissioner Mike Morath has the power to go so far as closing campuses or appointing a board of managers for a problematic district, thereby circumventing the power of local trustees.

Edison Middle Learning Center, one of DISD’s chronic strugglers, failed to meet state standards again despite being in the district’s touted Accelerating Campus Excellence program for two years. ACE uses stipends to draw high-performing teachers and principals to some of the district’s most challenging campuses. DISD’s internal projections had another ACE campus, Dade Middle School, again on the failing list, but it narrowly met state requirements to pass.

District officials also were surprised to learn that Lincoln High rated improvement required. It fell just short of state standards in student achievement and in closing performance gaps.

DISD's chief of school leadership, Stephanie Elizalde, told trustees last week that the district is particularly focused on making sure chronically failing schools have additional resources through ACE, which gives the top teachers bonuses to work at some of the lowest-performing schools.

During that meeting, trustees took issue with the tough talk Morath — a former colleague on the DISD board — has shared across the state about boards losing their power if failing schools aren't fixed.

In 2015, lawmakers gave the commissioner more power to step in sooner if a district has just one campus that fails state standards for five years or more. That provision kicks in next year and could potentially affect Dallas and Fort Worth, which has had two campuses failing for at least five years in a row.

At a hearing last summer, Morath noted that, too often, districts used the lightest touch to improve campuses when the harsher moves — such as replacing staff or district leadership — are the most effective. But at that same hearing, state lawmakers praised Dallas ISD for its "transformative" turnaround efforts.

Fort Worth has dropped from 22 failing schools to 14. But Logan Elementary has failed six years in a row and White Elementary five years straight. I.M. Terrell Elementary was rated "improvement required" for a fourth year but officials closed that school to convert it to a new academy for visual and performing arts and STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.

"Certainly, there are ramifications that could occur from TEA should the remaining two schools not improve," Fort Worth district spokesman Clint Bond said. "That's why last spring we designated those two schools, plus three others, to be leadership academies."

In the spring, Fort Worth received a $1 million donation from the Richard Rainwater Charitable Foundation to revamp five of its most struggling schools. Those schools got new campus leaders, and all staff had to reapply for their jobs.

Officials said the most qualified teachers were selected for those academies and will receive an additional $10,000 to work at those schools. The effort is similar to the stepped-up resources Dallas implemented through its ACE program.

Across North Texas, 57 traditional public schools and charter campuses failed to meet state standards. That includes three each in Arlington and Crowley; two each in Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Garland; and one each in DeSoto, Plano, Richardson, McKinney, Lewisville and Frisco school districts.

Of nearly 160 charter school campuses in the area, 10 were rated improvement required. That included Focus Learning Academy, which surrendered its charter at the end of the last school year after years of failing state standards.

Schools are rated on whether they met minimum academic performance or made significant student progress on state standardized tests, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. Officials also look at whether schools are closing achievement gaps between diverse subgroups — such as economically disadvantaged students and their peers — as well as how well they are preparing kids for life after high school.

Next year, Texas will begin grading districts A-F based on STAAR and other factors. In 2019, individual campuses will be graded in the new A-F system.

Educators have largely opposed the new A-F grading system, saying it will stigmatize schools in the poorest neighborhoods that tend to have the most struggles. But other groups say it will give communities a clearer picture than the current pass/fail system.

Overall, the state and districts saw many passing rates dip last spring, particularly in reading. As a result, the state announced a new initiative to boost reading skills.